Week 6. I’m learning about Grammar. Or grammer, as I once stated to a room full of exec’s on a white board. Not even spotting my mistake. I’m reading. Reading a lot. I’m not writing though. This is bugging me, as I have to wrestle with other words from modules I don’t want to take, and impress people I don’t care about (other students).

Back to grammar… I’m learning that to have a grasp on the fundamentals of basic education, is your first step into getting traditionally published. Before Uni, I sprinkled the shrapnel of state school English class lessons around like grit on an icy road.

Another thing, I don’t think this blog will include any fancy writing. My brain can’t handle it. To be creative during the day, then creative in between the lectures of the day too? A hard ask to task. I will however attempt to record to the language that amuses me:

You-chewb – for example. That interests me. My partner and I, have developed a habit of emphasising the wrong weight of a word. YouTube, becomes You-chewb. Once emphasised, that focus becomes the dominant in conversation and it becomes our little joke. We may ‘chewb’ for hours on end. Or I may ask her to ‘veover’ (to move-over). I’m liking this linguistic fun. It has sod all to do with my writing, but I would like it to creep in somewhere.

Right now, I have a queue of writing and not enough time. Ironic, as I’m camped out in Nero writing a blog post. But I feel it is a resignation of my effort to meet the deadlines. I have a short on the topic of ‘Clocks’ (the timepiece and its associations with my life and connected others). I have a short to write whereby the title must be a cliché… and the story must do it artistic justice. ‘Create a work of Art from it’ I’m told. Fair enough. Sounds like a challenge. I have been given a copy of ‘The Worm In The Apple’ by John Cheever to get inspired from. He did well; I may not.

I have also just finished an academic piece (my first) on the topic of ‘Why It Is Important To Study Media?’. I’m also missing right now a poetry module. Why? Because I need to write this creative ‘cliché’ short. Which I’m not doing. I’m writing this. Ho-hum.

So… lets get on with it. Any questions for a mature student, returning to education after 20 years of work? I’ll answer anything.

After 2 weeks of being a creative writing student I have learnt the following things:

I don’t re-read my work out loud and should

I really should have applied for an MA instead of a BA.

The course is not designed for mature students that work as well.

The Uni isn’t ‘tech savvy’ despite what it thinks.

The students are all great and I’m enjoying their company.

I have a lot to do.

My grammar sucks… and I need to sort it out.

I need to read more. A lot more.

Uni organisation is terrible. Academia is like a Quango.

My first piece of writing submitted has been a good experience.

I want to create a digital academics workshop for lecturers and students alike.

My digital self publishing workshop now has an audience.

Oh, that’ll do. I feel like I’m moaning already. However for those that are unaware. I have signed up to a full time 3 year writing degree… and it’s at a very difficult time. I’m not fully employed (self employed consultancy… with not a lot of work around), I have to move home shortly with my partner (really hard trying to find a place as a couple, without a proper job and being students).

So, that aside. My experience as a full time student has been great. I live 3 miles away and cycle in whenever I need to. I love the courses I have, Creative Writing (lectures, seminars, workshops & plenary), Exploration In Prose Fiction (lectures & seminars), Introduction to Media (slightly left-field module lectures, seminars to match my external work) and a rather dodgy module selection of Reading to Write Poetry (I might end up liking it eventually).

This course is giving me a chance to really blast test my Kindle, so far I’ve been emailing everything to it. At the moment I’ve read Clockwork Orange and have loved it. My first book ever, reading with a critical eye. I have made over 80 notes and highlights on the device. It’s not so easy to fan through the pages, like I would a book, but it’s a good start. I’m now reading ‘The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman’ by Laurence Sterne. An 18th Century novel which… I have to admit has not gripped me at all in the opening pages. It’s a real struggle to get into. Last night I started drifting off to sleep after 2 pages! I have no-idea what the objective of reading this title, I might have to email the tutor to explain it a little more.